ABC offers the musical The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live! Nov. 5. As the title suggests, the production is live. Queen Latifah plays Ursula, Auli'i Cravalho portrays Ariel, Shaggy plays Sebastian and John Stamos is Chef Louis.
The Little Mermaid Live! honors the 30th anniversary of the animated film. ABC promised “a never-before-seen hybrid format that will take viewers on a magical adventure under the sea as live musical performances by a star-studded cast are interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film.”
Little Mermaid Live! is "unlike anything any other network has done,” said Karey Burke, ABC entertainment president at TCA press tour over the summer.
The two-hour production may signal ABC’s entry into more live musicals. “This could be the start of a franchise,” said Andy Kubitz, executive VP, programming strategy, ABC.
The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live! is produced by Done+Dusted. Executive producers include Done+Dusted’s Hamish Hamilton, who will also direct, Katy Mullan, David Jammy, Raj Kapoor and Ian Stewart. Also executive producing is Richard Kraft.
